Improved skates



UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

IM PROVED SKATES.

Specifica-tion forming part of Letters Patent No. 53,414, dated March 27, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HIRAM CLARK, ot Jordan, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Skates; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof', reference being' had to the accompanying` drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention, that portion of the foot-piece l5 at the front post being shown in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the parts, taken through the front post. Fig. 3 is a similar view taken through the rear or heel post. Fig. 4 is an inverted view of the head of the heelspur screw O.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

rlhis invention is designed to be applied more especially to cheap skates; and it consists, mainly, in clamping the foot-plates to the runners by means of a clip or brace extending laterally through the posts, and its ends being secured to the foot-plate by screws.

To enable others to make and use my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

l provide the runner with two or more broad posts, p, corresponding in thickness to that of the runner. By this means the runners may be ground and polished without anydifculty whatever, there being no washers or other projections at the top of the posts laterally. The front post. 19, has a dowel, el, to enter the footplate B, which prevents the top of this post from being moved in the slightest degree after the brace is properly attached. The top of the rear post, p, is notched, so as to receive the forked head 7L of the screw C, as seen in Fig. 3. The lips t' of the head clasp and rmly secure the top of that post from moving laterally, and the post prevents the heel spur or screw from turning.

The base of each post p is provided with a 1nortise,-through which the clips or clampingbraces b are placed, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The braces b should be so lnade as to have a complete bearin g at the point c, while the feet ot' the braces shall lack one-sixteenth of an inch (more or less) of reaching the foot-plate B before the screws s and t are applied. This secures a perfect clamping of the parts when the screws are driven in.

The points u of the screws s are made to project through the foot-plate, as seen in Figs. l and 2, so as to constitute the steadying-spurs, and thereby these screws perform a double function.

If desired, the feet of the rear clip, b, may be made as shown in Fig. 3, in which case the screws twould havea stronger holdin the wood than they would otherwise.

The screw-driver slot a may be made to constitute the post-slot e, or it may be made at right angles therewith, as shown.

These skates may be provided with the ordinary strap-loops, to receive the straps for attaching them to the boot. Y

What 1 claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The post p, having a stud, d, at the top, to enter the foot-plate B and an opening at the bottom, in combination with diagonal bracebars l), which are secured to the foot-plate by screws or otherwise, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

HIEAM CLARK.

Witnesses WM. S. LoUGHBoRoUeH, AsA H. BILLINGs. 

